


Mortals and Fools

by Bbong



Category: Death Note
Genre: Angst, Artificial Intelligence, Death Note - Freeform, M/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, alternative universe, lawlight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-02 07:27:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16782400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bbong/pseuds/Bbong
Summary: Light Yagami dies in a tragic accident aged Seven. His grieving Father creates an Artifical Intelligence Robot to revive the memory of his Son. Light grapples with concepts of justice, the Death Note, and the new premise of romance. Slow, eventual Lawlight.





	1. Apologies and goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any errors, I haven’t written in years (since 2013?) I’ve honestly very little confidence in my writing but I wanted to give it a go :) please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! Characterisation probably inaccurate but I’m trying. I aim to finish this fic by March/ April 2019!

Years before the supernatural, god-like powers of Kira threw Japan into confusion, Soichiro Yagami played God. 

It had been a terrible tragedy; one that could have been easily avoided, had the driver been more careful, if he and his wife hadn’t drunk before driving, or if Light Yagami had his eyes on the road. Or if Soichiro had been holding his son’s hand, and hadn’t been talking on the phone while crossing the street on the way to the zoo. First, he had been angry, at the injustice of the loss of his only Son. How could the heavens be so unfair, that the two culprits had escaped relatively unscathed while his son lay broken, lifeless and comatose? He was furious, refusing to acknowledge any of the couples’ (murderers) piteous attempts at apologies. 

Hours melted into days and days melted into weeks, and Soichiro’s anger at the world’s goddamn inherent unfairness had dissipated into an equally poisonous self-loathing. 

Soichiro was ridden with guilt, and despite priding himself on always being level-headed and calm, his mind could only rationalise one thought -- his failure as a father had resulted in his son’s death. And in this short, short minute of neglect, the precious life of one of Tokyo’s childhood prodigies had been snuffed out irrevocably. 

\------  
Soichiro clasped his wife’s trembling hands in his, her tremulous sobs echoing in his ears. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” were the only words that fell continuously from his lips, sounding meaningless and empty even to himself. As the Yagamis grieved, through weeks of routine silent embraces, prayers under imploring breaths beside their son’s bedside and tasteless hospital meals, the pieces of their lives eventually started to come together. 

One night, as they sat by Light’s bedside as per usual, Sachiko suddenly cracked a tender smile, her first since three months after the accident. Soichiro’s shock was clear on his face as he watched his wife exhaustedly get up and grab her bag before kissing her son’s bandaged forehead. 

“You’re leaving?” His voice was rough and gravelly, and he winced as they rumbled reluctantly from his throat. 

Sachiko’s hands were soft and smooth as they turned to meet Soichiro’s face. His eyes closed as her soothing hands smoothened out the folds in his forehead, ever-gently and loving. 

“No- we’re leaving.” Her voice was firm, her face exhausted but determined. “Soichiro, I don’t blame you. It’s - it’s time to move on, time hasn’t stopped even though it feels our world has ended. We’ll come back to visit tomorrow. It’s what Light would’ve wanted.” Sachiko’s voice was gentle and quiet, bringing an unspeakable warmth bubbling up in Sochiro’s chest where he had felt like the gaping hole would never be closed again. “Don’t be sorry, thank you for being by my side this whole time, I love you.” Soichiro could only bury his head in his wife’s shoulder, ignoring the growing wetness on his cheeks, hoping that all his gratitude could be conveyed to her as his voice betrayed him. They’d held hands as they left the hospital to sleep in their own bed after months of sleepless nights on uncomfortable plastic chairs. His sleep was dreamless, for which he’d never been more thankful. As Soichiro awoke the next day watching his wife’s face, cocooned in comfortable sheets and an odd sense of hope, he made the decision to dedicate his life towards helping Light Yagami live again. 

Before becoming a Father, Soichiro’s dream had always been to serve mankind, and his greatest interest had always been in creating intelligent technology. It was unsurprising, then, to everyone, that he would become one of Japan’s most outstanding Artificial Intelligence Scientists. Soichiro had an impeccable understanding of the human mind and an innate talent for creating machines with uncanny human-like traits, and he planned to channel these talents into his new goal. 

In theory, it had seemed impossible. Yet, two years passed, and Soichiro simply watched in amazement as he questioned his newly-created Artificial Conversational Entity programme. 

Despite having the innocence and eagerness of a five year old, the robot’s vocabulary and maturity in addition to its quick ability to gauge his emotions was way beyond that of a young child — I.e., it was responding exactly the way only Light Yagami could. 

“Son, do you think the polar bears can be saved?”  
“Dad... theoretically, we could transport all the bears to zoos, or research more on reproductive techniques, or send them food directly. But obviously, that’s ridiculous.”  
Soichiro could hear the petulance and slight air of superiority in the programme’s voice. 

He had to force down a smile as he replied, “Why, Son?” 

The sigh from the computer screen almost made him burst out into a guffaw. 

“The real issue here isn’t simply saving the polar bears. There are some huge systematic issues that will take years to fix, such as political apathy, cultures and a lack of concern for the environment in most of the world. And by the time these things are solved, judging from current trends, the polar bears will be dead.”

Yep, that was undeniably Light’s character. While other seven-year-olds might’ve been ooing and aahing over adorable white fluffy bears, Light Yagami had no such personal attachments — he had seen them as symbols of the world’s incapabilities. Light had always found his father’s simplistic questions ridiculous, and didn’t make attempts to hide his views, which Soichiro found hilarious. 

“Dad! I went a little overboard with the ranting earlier, do you perhaps want to visit the polar bears at the zoo this weekend before they all disappear?” The computer suddenly added quickly, after a few moments of quiet. 

Soichiro nearly gasped, it was just like Light as well to apologise indirectly for his rudeness (which Soichiro really didn’t mind and was also aware that Light didn’t really feel sorry about) and remind his father of their weekly Father-Son outing to get Soichiro away from his constant work. 

Perhaps it didn’t seem that unimaginable; after all, Light Yagami’s speed of learning and adaptability to situations, both emotionally and academically, had been seen as robot-like to most of his Teachers. 

Light Yagami’s thirst for knowledge, speed for learning and calmness in every situation had been shockingly simple to recreate. 

It only took a year more before Soichiro was able to create a couple of robot suits in complete likeness of Light Yagami and merge the two, in effect reviving his Son. 

Tears filled his eyes as the robot - no - Light Yagami opened his eyes slowly, auburn eyes gazing deeply into Soichiro’s. 

“Dad?”  
“Yes, Son?”  
“We’re still going to the zoo today right?”

Soichiro glanced at his watch. It was a Saturday several years too late, and a smile several years delayed flickered across his face briefly. 

“Yes, let’s leave now.” He held his son’s hand tightly the whole way, and Light never let go.


	2. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light goes Home.

Soichiro continued to spend most of his waking hours with Light in the lab, all of which were some of the most enjoyable experiences he had. 

As he silently observed Light working at a computer puzzle, brows furrowed deep in thought, his chest swelled with bliss and pride. Although he could hardly claim to be the source of Light’s boyish good looks, his son’s hard work and passion for solving the unknown was a reflection of his fathers. Yet, as a faint smile crept over his face, the lingering guilt of hiding Light - and the joy he had derived from Light’s company - from his wife quickly dampened his good spirits. 

“Dad?”

Shocked out of his remorse-induced stupor, Soichiro looked up at his son questioningly.

“I’m aware… that I am not human, and that I am not exactly Light Yagami, although I am a perfect replica of him.”

Light’s brown eyes were searching, sorrowful almost, as Soichiro stared back in shock.

“Although I have Light’s memories and I’m certain that you treat me exactly the same way as you would a son of your own flesh and blood, there’s really no need to hide this fact from me. I’ve never brought this up and I’m aware you’re uncomfortable with it, but I want to be truthful with you about this. I’m perfectly happy living Light Yagami’s life the way he would have.” 

Closing his slightly agape mouth, Soichiro reached for Light, hugging him tightly to his chest. 

“Raito, I — when did you find out?“

“Dad, I’ve always known. Surely, as the creator of my programme, you should know that I’m able to make basic observations and inferences from what’s around me, for example, that I live in a lab? As a loving father, I’m sure you wouldn’t keep your son at home away from his mother for no good reason.”

Light’s smile was teasing and playful, as his small arms reached around his fathers’ back and tightened soothingly. 

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be, Dad. I love you.” 

Light snuggled further into his nook of his father’s neck, closing his eyes and pretending not to feel the wetness of his shirt from Soichiro’s warm tears. 

They stayed that way for a long moment, the afternoon sun rays filtering into the room evenly, ebbing and flowing through the shifting curtains. 

——————————————

“I’m going to call your mother now, and bring you home.” 

“If Mum will accept me?” Light’s smile was wistful, a faint curve of the lips that spoke of hundreds of longing memories.

Soichiro quashed all feelings of uncertainty as Light gave his hand an encouraging squeeze, and dialled his wife’s number.

“Soichiro? Is anything the matter?” 

“Sachiko, I’ve something to confess.” 

The line was quiet for a full minute, the air charged with tension as both parties held their breaths, hundreds of possibilities running through their minds. 

“Where are you? Are you safe? Please don’t do anything drastic, I can get there any time —“  
“I’m fine, Sachiko.”

“You… sounded teary? What’s the matter, did you watch a sad movie at work?” Sachiko playfully teased, bringing a law chuckle from Soichiro. He’d been crying too much lately, way too much for a grown man who’d barely shed a tear once he’d left kindergarten. 

A gentle nudge from Light reminded him of his gargantuan task. 

“I... I... Light, uh... Light’s with me.”

Light buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. 

There was a sharp intake of breath from the phone. Light’s memory was a painful wound that both Husband and wife harboured but never mentioned. 

“Soichiro, are you alright? You’re at the Hospital?” 

“I... made an AI, with Light’s mind and memories. He... I... you’d love him.”

The silence this time was so long that Soichiro feared that his Wife had hung up or fainted from the shock of his words.   
...  
“Sachiko?”

“Soichiro, I don’t know about this... Is this really a healthy way to cope? I... can’t we just let him go in peace?”

“He - I love him, Sachiko. He’s my Son. I could never let him go.”

The line was quiet again, and Soichiro imagined his Wife massaging her forehead and pacing around with worry. 

“Okay, bring him home. I’ll get dinner ready.”

“Thank you.” The line went off, and Soichiro beamed, pulling Light into an embrace. 

“We’re going home, Son. We’re going home.”

A hopeful grin burst out on Light’s usually impassive face, and it made all the challenges Soichiro had faced and had to face seem completely worth it. 

They started a walk back to their home, and Soichiro noticed that Light knew the way even without any directions. He felt regretful for a moment for depriving both mother and Son of the happiness he’d been revelling in privately, but pushed it aside. 

In a few minutes, they’d be home. And home would be complete, for the first time in years. 

The air was charged with anticipation and nervousness as Soichiro rang the doorbell. 

Three rings, and the door opened. 

“Mum!” 

Surprisingly, Light responded first, rushing forward to hug his Mother. Sachiko moved instinctively, crouching downward to fully hold Light to her chest, face tilting down to nestle in his soft crown of hair. Both Mother and Son held each other for a Long time, deeply breathing, waves of nostalgia crashing against them despite the newness of the whole situation. 

They had no shared blood, but shared memories were more than sufficient to reconnect their broken bonds. 

“Thank you, Soichiro.” Were all the words that Sachiko could choke out, as she tenderly held Light’s hand and led him into the house. 

Soichiro followed the Mother-Son pair, contentment settling gently like a quilted cloud. What a foreign feeling, and what a relief it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried to write a soft and emotionally charged chapter, Hope I succeeded. Still need a lot of work with my transitions and sentence variations but I hope I’ll improve with time! Struggled with pacing dialogue too haha. Made soichiro and light Super affectionate here too bc I haven’t actually seen such charavterisations and I’m exercising creative liberty based on what I saw in manga pre-DN Light. I find that there’s a lot of metaphorical significance here I can play with — Light has always seemed mechanical, and detached from other humans. He’s lonely, feels the need to hide feelings, and doesn’t feel like he quite belongs to his Family even though he loves them. I’m sick of writing in this past tense too HAHA soon I’ll be writing in light’s POV and more DN action will be coming, Hope some people will be interested! As usual, please comment if you enjoyed :)


	3. Light wept.

Light wept. 

The feeling was foreign. The sudden acidity kept rising up his nose, the warm liquid kept coursing down his cheeks, and he was gulping for air. 

It hurt. 

Light Yagami, who had never shed a tear in his life, not even when he’d completely crushed his leg playing Basketball, or when his favourite neighbours moved out, or when he’d felt the excruciating pulverisation of all the bones in his body as the car slammed into him at top speed — was crying. 

He didn’t understand it, frozen into place as his shirt grew more soaked from his mother’s crying into his shirt. 

Breathe. 

He’d have looked like a statue to anyone who saw him, mute and unseeing, aside from the continual wetness falling from his eyes. 

His Father, who’d loved him more than anyone in the world, who he’d loved more than anyone in the world - was dead.  
Poor Mother, how did she deal with two blows? It felt like his world had ended. 

Soichiro Yagami, the most loving and the most faultless, selfless and law-abiding citizen of Tokyo had died. 

This time, it was no accident. 

A daughter’s machine-made heart had failed, due to a series of unknown circumstances, and the anguish had caused the grieving Father to storm over and murder her doctor, her surgeon, and her heart’s maker. 

Light had been clubbed in the head as the man ran into his father’s lab, muttering and murmuring incessantly like a rabid dog. He’d missed the ensuing violence, failed to call the police, failed to do anything— and now his Father was dead. 

It just didn’t make sense. Four lives snubbed out, three cruelly and intentionally murdered, but one man’s incarceration could hardly be justice. 

Light wondered how many others were hurting. Three, four, six broken families? This world was rotten, not black or white but a messy palette of the ugliest colours all mashed together. 

Shit. It was utter shit. 

_______________________

The funeral was small, quiet and respectful, the way his father would’ve wanted it. They’d had to have a closed casket, because Soichiro’s face was too battered to be seen by the public. As Light pressed his hand to the ebony surface, he silently vowed to find justice - justice for his Father, his Mother, himself and the rotten world.  
________________________

Light shut the door of his bedroom, even though the house was completely quiet and he knew his mother was just laying in bed staring glassy-eyed at the ceiling. 

The house was so, so quiet. Before, it had been a warm, comfortable kind of silence, but now it just brought a sense of deep foreboding. Light hated uncertainty, and so he worked harder than he’d ever had to succeed. The studying for the entrance test to To-oh university was unnecessary. 

When he was free (almost all the time, really, because everything was just so easy), he read up on his father’s case. The madman had gotten free, with a lighter sentence due to “mental trauma” and “instability from emotional grief”. Ha! There were a dozen others who’d been hurt, but did they all go on fucking murderous rampages? 

Bullshit. 

What was justice? 

A simple Google search made Light laugh aloud. L was Justice. L, the most powerful Detective, backing hundreds of corrupt governments and closing a blind eye to the world’s foulness. Where was the justice when the guilty could all go free? What was this L’s justice, that let millions suffer every year, while he reaped millions more doing nothing but having fun? 

L was such a coward, truly. Leaving behind a “legacy of justice”, with a simple letter as a figurehead, whilst staying anonymous and refusing to take responsibility of any of the suffering “justice” brought. 

It was laughable. L was likely ashamed of the world’s justice as well. L, who was faceless, nameless and useless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short, poorly written chapter and the Long time I took to update... I have writing constipation LOL it’s stuck and it won’t flow properly although I have the ideas... recently started working too and I’m exhausted. but more coming up that isn’t angsty and finally has some action!


	4. Before the Storm

For such an unearthly item, the Death Note didn’t come to Light Yagami in any kind of a phenomenal way. 

It had fallen, like a dead crow with broken wings, straight to the ground. It was funny, really, that the weight of such an event had no hold on the world’s gravity.

Light had, in fact, been gardening - which was, mind you, a very therapeutic activity that was a highly effective tool for rehabilitation - when the offending item crashed unceremoniously into his bed of roses. 

Upon closer inspection, Light’s initial annoyance was replaced by curiosity. 

A book? Jet black, with chicken-scratching like scrawls on the cover and the inside. A Death Note. Light let out a bark of laughter. 

If it was a prank, it was horribly executed, with poor aesthetics and an immature sense of humour. Light was prepared to toss the book, when he found a yellow and flimsy slip of paper. 

“Hello Light Yagami! You have come into the possession of a Death Note. Of course, it is no easy burden, but one I am sure you will be eager to carry. Read the instructions on the cover, and if you don’t believe me, test it out on anyone. I speak the truth, don’t let me down. I’m excited to meet you, Lighto!

\- Ryuk, the owner of the Death Note  
P.S. I’m a Death God!” 

Admittedly, this was a really well-thought out prank. Light had no idea how this “Ryuk” knew his name, but decided to engage in such frivolity - he was all jaded and burnt out, having been in such concentrated misery for the past months - and this Ryuk had piqued his curiosity, a sudden spark which he thought he had lost. 

Light padded back into the house, Death Note gingerly held in his hands. It was strange; his ears were slightly ringing with the echoes of some kind of wretched laughter. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand, and Light grinned suddenly. Too much isolation, lately, that he was going loopy. 

Okay then, here goes nothing. 

A couple of minutes of research later, Light selected his first test subject. 

Takahiro Shiraishi. 27, male, killed, violated and butchered nine victims, all of whom he promised companionship in suicide. The article was grisly. Light’s lip curling in utter distaste as he scrolled down the news article. Shiraishi seemed completely unrepentant, and had preyed on so many innocents repeatedly and without remorse. 

1: The human whose name is written in this note shall die.  
2:This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name.  
3:If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. Otherwise, the person will die of a heart attack. 

It was so simple, it couldn’t possibly be real. Scoffing inwardly at the ridiculousness he’d sunk to in order to relieve his boredom, Light wrote Shiraishi’s name, picturing the man’s face with slight revulsion. 

What now? This was underwhelming. Light ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, and went on to continue with his online schooling. He’d been silly, to fall for such a meaningless prank. 

Before Light fell asleep that night, he watched the shadows playing on his wall. From the corner of his vision, it seemed that the shadows surged forward whenever his eyelids fell closed. A prickle of terror stabbed Light, the air feeling frigid against the cooling beads of sweat on his temple. Light smiled into the dancing inkiness, heart thundering in his chest.  
———————————  
Light awoke at 7am the next morning to the shrill scream of his alarm clock. 

Pick up your phone. 

Pick up your phone. 

Brushing aside all compulsions to check the news, he went about his routine, face impressively impassive. 

Make the bed, check. Wash up, check. Make breakfast for mum, eat, check. Complete morning lessons for online school, check. 

Read the papers, check —-

Wait, what? 

It was uncouth and hideous behaviour, looking highly out of place on Light Yagami’s face, but involuntarily, his eyes started bugging out of their sockets and his jaw fell slack.

He could scarcely believe his eyes. 

Shiraishi had died in his prison cell, days before his scheduled date of execution, from a heart attack. Estimated time of death: yesterday afternoon. 

What did this mean? 

It could be a huge coincidence, meaning Shiraishi could have randomly had an illness and passed away at the exact moment Light Yagami wrote in his Death Note, or...

Light Yagami was a murderer. 

Light Yagami was not a murderer. He was slightly narcissistic, slightly manipulative, and perhaps had slight sociopathic tendencies, but he was not a murderer. 

Light Yagami did not go around killing innocents, breaking the law, or ruining families. 

Light Yagami was not a murderer. The room suddenly seemed to drop degrees in temperature. He couldn’t be, could he? He wasn’t evil, he wasn’t a killer, he wanted good for the world. 

Bile rose in his throat, a sickly nausea driving him in a sprint to the bathroom. 

He emptied the contents of his stomach, rinsed his mouth, and stared blankly at the mirror. 

He looked the same. Same brown eyes and hair, same vacant expression (albeit a little distressed), but most certainly, no blood of his hands, and no murderous gaze of a killer. 

Breathing deeply, he headed for his bedroom, where the Death Note lay. 

Everything was the same. Nothing had changed. A man who had been scheduled to die a few days later had simply died, not even in a painful way. His victims has been killed way more painfully. It would have happened anyway. Justice had been served. 

Light Yagami was not a killer. 

So absorbed was Light in his endless spiel of self-reassurance, that he blindly stumbled through the thick, dense, black cloud in his doorway without registering a single note of surprise. 

Wait. A black cloud? 

A black cloud, with a horrendous, horrific, ghastly, gruesome, unnerving face, with a dreadful, terrifying, hideous, chilling grin full of so many fucking teeth! 

And the Monster was making such a horrible noise, a horrible scream grating against his eardrums. 

Oh wait. It was laughing. It was in hysterics, rolling around in circles in the air. As the initial horror died down and Light’s mouth clamped shut, the scream stopped abruptly. 

Oh. Light Yagami, who never screamed, had just screamed his head off like a - like a - pansy. Light, who was calm and collected, and had mastery of his emotions at the age of seventeen, was going through far too much these days. He wasn’t himself. 

Slowly, he raised his gaze to meet the Monster in the eyes. 

It was still in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, bat-like wings flapping sporadically with its humongous yellow bug-like eyes bulging from its skull. 

“Light, are you alright?” Sachiko called from her room. 

“Yes mum, I saw... a huge spider but it’s gone now.”

(He wasn’t wrong, that creature had spidery long limbs, eyes so huge they might contain compound eyes, and it would look right at home in a web, with its dead bluish skin.) 

Light shut the door, ears burning with embarrassment. 

He cleared his throat. 

“So... you are Ryuk?” 

“HA! HAHAHAHA!! HAHAHA!!!!!!”

The Monster struggled to catch its breath, as Light grew steadily more annoyed. It wasn’t scary so much as it was irritating. 

“Yes, I’m Ryuk! Why, Light, you’ve proved very entertaining so far. You screamed like this: AAAAAAA!!!!!! Did you pee your pants??? Oh Gosh! You’re hilarious!”

Light shut his eyes and took a few breaths. 

Ryuk was a Death God. It wouldn’t bode well to flare up at it. And he had so, so many questions...

“The Death Note is yours?” 

“Yes, but now you own it! I’ve seen that you have already written in it. Didn’t you puke from that? HAHA! But you don’t want to return it to me, do you? I think you had fun!”

“He deserved to die. Ryuk, you are a Shinigami, correct?”

Ryuk flashed an ugly grin, reminiscent of deep-sea bony fishes. 

“Oh boy, did he! Why yes, I am!” 

“This book... I can write down any names, picturing the person’s face, and they will die. Without any consequences for me?” 

Ryuk’s smile grew even wider, till all Light could see was teeth. 

“Why, Lighto, you’ve tested it, haven’t you? Hmm... well, no Death Note users can go to heaven or hell.”

That didn’t sound too bad, honestly. 

“Also, it’s generally considered bad luck to have a Shinigami following you. Which I will, at all times, just to watch the show!”

Light could see why, and he ignored the feral cackling ringing behind his ears as he moved to sit by his desk. It was time to do some research, to serve his new-found power and enforce justice. 

Power tingled in his fingertips. It was exhilarating, electrifying, lightning sparking all the way up his spine. 

A storm was coming, and the world, with its incomparable winds and rains, could only wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter to make up for the previous short one! 
> 
> A lil more exciting, I hope. Haven’t seen many fics where Ryuk played a big part but I want him to be an absolute devil here XD. 
> 
> Also, I googled and apparently hurricanes are formed by storms on the ocean, so you know what’s coming! (Musical reference). Also, how do I use italics on this??
> 
> I’m excited for Light to meet L but it won’t be for another chapter. (
> 
> Thanks to the new comments! I really appreciate them and they keep me going :,) by the way, I write on train rides and before bed, it’s a really relaxing time for me. 
> 
> Also, someone pointed out the similarity of the storyline to AstroBoy, I’m wondering if I heard of the plot before and unconsciously thought it was mine?? Either way, I definitely do not want to plagiarise and I’m open to criticism if it is going in that direction subconsciously. 
> 
> Good night and wish me luck in getting my new job (with higher pay )


	5. Hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pen is mightier than the sword.

Light thought he now had the patience of an experienced, meditative monk, having lived with Ryuk’s constant chortling and cackling for a week. 

Holy crap, it was so annoying. 

The Monster was the size of a few hundred bats, with the same leathery wings and tendency for screeching cries - and hanging upside down. 

At least it didn’t bite. Light shivered at the thought of such a thing happening, those needle-like teeth would definitely kill. 

Fortunately, Light had found some sort of temporary relief. Food is the way to a Shinigami’s heart (and stomach) it seems, and Ryuk’s penchant for apples had served Light well. He had to find the loopholes, the conditions that might allow the supernatural or the human to cause him to stumble in his cause for justice. 

“Ryuk, so you’re saying, there are absolutely no conditions with my usage of the Death Note.”

“There’s me!!!! And looking at you, you seem to have the condition of resting b-“

“Shut up, Ryuk. I’m being serious here.” 

“I’m not!!!” 

Light waited, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. This thing was a god? Holy shit, if all devils were like this thing, Satanists would be sorely disappointed. 

“Okay, I’ll tell you a few nuggets of information if you bring me six apples.”

“Two.”

“Four.” 

“One.”

“Two!”

“Alright.”

The fruit was served, and Light stared at the creature, lips curled in distaste. 

To any outsider, it would’ve looked like there was a flying apple suddenly being shredded in the air, with juice... disappearing mid-air. (This was probably Ryuk’s coolest trick.) 

“Those apples are sooo good! So worth coming to the human world, even though I have to deal with your prissiness!”

Light rolled his eyes, waiting. 

“Alright, Light-o, here’s the thing! Hmm... I’m not sure how you’ll take this. For every   
ten people killed, nine of them can be the people you choose, but one will be brought by me.” 

“What? It isn’t stated in the notebook!”

“Do you not believe me?”

“The tenth person brought by you will be a criminal?”

“Ha! Light Yagami, God of a New World, the most pious and righteous martyr killing only those who deserve to die. I can’t say we’ve the same criteria, but they’ve certainly committed wrongs!”

Was it worth the sacrifice?

A loss of a potential innocent, in return for wiping the true scum from the universe? 

There were benefits of killing off the evil. A preventive effect could take place, enhancing the initial step of killing the nine criminals. 

“Light Yagami, I also neglected to mention. I’ll kill you, if you don’t make it interesting for me. If you want to quit, quit now. You’ll lose all memories of the notebook and of me.” 

Ryuk stared hard at Light Yagami, eyes fixated on him but somehow unfocused, like they were focusing on something moving above Light’s head. 

“Strange... strange... Very strange... So, will the show begin?”

Light Yagami now had 3 options, none of which sounded very appealing.   
1\. Kill 9 criminals, refuse to kill 1 innocent and be killed by Ryuk.   
2\. Continue killing criminals and innocents, but accumulate a list of killed innocents.   
3\. Give up the notebook, potentially letting it fall into someone else’s hands, causing zero criminals and an unknown number of innocents to die. 

It was a number game, the line between good and evil completely blurred. 

Option three was a no-go. It would be irresponsible; who knew how many would die from letting this accursed notebook fall into the hands of someone who didn’t know right from wrong? 

So it came between option one and two again. Yet, if Light was killed... the result would be the same as option three. 

Ryuk had left him with no choice. 

Well, Ryuk did say that those people had committed wrongs, and since Light hadn’t intentionally wanted to kill them, he wasn’t their murderer? He was just the holder of a gun, being forced to aim and shoot.

Light pulled out the notebook, flipped it to the first page and began writing. 

Ryuk laughed. It was such an ugly, ugly sound. Light wanted to kill him.   
——————————  
There were several problems with the justice system. 

Japan’s judicial system had a 99% conviction rate — yet far from being effective, the truth was that far too many criminals didn’t end up being prosecuted and many innocents were pressured into giving false confessions. 

Politicians were bribing judges, the rich and famous paying off lawyers, laws were proving ineffective time and again... The whole damn justice system was broken beyond repair. 

And perhaps the most ridiculous part of it was the police force’s great dependence and trust in L, the “World’s Greatest Detective”. 

L could override any judicial decisions in the entire world, and had the power and riches to enforce true justice. He could have been the God of a brand new world. 

But L chose to close his eyes to the world’s suffering and dabble only in affairs of interest to him — which often meant protecting only the rich, who pandered to L and his fat wallet. 

There were those who took no action because of ignorance, but wilful inaction was inexcusable. L, with his childish and petty hold over the world’s justice, was as guilty as the corrupt leaders. 

And now, Light had the power to change everything.

Teru Mikami.   
A lawyer, so well-known that he had almost celebrity-level fame. With a near hundred percent success rate of defending his clients (all rich, and clearly guilty), Mikami had an immense amount of power derived from his pandering to the influential. 

Yet, his prosecution of “criminals” was meaningless, when he secured immunity for the real criminals, including himself. Numerous women had, in the past few years, launched numerous allegations of sexual assault and abuse against the lawyer. 

These women rallied, and cried, repeating their gruesome, painful personal accounts— incidences that had ruined their lives, so detailed and vividly recalled that they couldn’t possibly be fabricated. They were not alone in their abuse, but in finding justice, they had no one. Mikami had raped dozens, nearly killed several, caused lasting psychological trauma and ruined many lives. 

Yet, the allegations bounced off Mikami’s armoured reputation, not even leaving a single dent. He was a free man, still glowing with confidence as he continued his ascend in the judicial ranks. 

Three seconds later, and the deed was done. Mikami would die at 4pm the next day. 

Light wiped his palms on his pants, slightly damp from sweat. There was no guilt, only relief. Justice could be served again. 

Two more men went similarly, their filthy existences wiped out in a matter of minutes. The law might have loopholes, but there was no running from the Death Note. 

“Ha! Light, you’re making good progress. Three down now, huh? And all heads of justice... Aren’t you making too obvious a pattern?”

Light ignored Ryuk, the sound of his heart thrumming in his ears. 

No mistakes could be made. Six more, and then he would wait for the plan to unfold. 

Sataro Fukiage.   
Shingo Mido.   
Sada Abe.   
Mutsuo Toi.   
Reiji Namikawa.   
Masahiko Kida. 

The man who was bribed by medical corporations to approve untested medications, killing thousands of children and causing debilitating illnesses in pregnant mothers. 

Another, who allowed the murder of millions worldwide by closing a blind eye to a corporation that sold genetically modified seeds which ruined the soil so that more could be earned selling treatments. 

A woman with a multi-million dollar business selling contaminated milk powder for the elderly and young, murdering many for the sake of profiting. 

A murderer of children. A killer of the elderly. A massacrer of the impoverished. Thousands of victims, and yet the perpetuators sat comfortably free. It made Light sick to his stomach to see all the evil. 

But a touch of a pen to paper later, the evil was obliterated. 

Light finished the last stroke of Kanji, and laid his pen down. The deeds were done, and justice had caught up to those who had evaded justice for so Long. 

“Nine already? Wow, these are all high profile cases.”

Light leaned back in his chair, eyes closing. 

“Yes, they are.”

“Ooo, you want to be noticed, don’t you? This is getting fun, Lighto! But don’t get caught too early, because then I’ll have to kill you. I can’t wait for you while you’re in jail!”

Light started in shock as he opened his eyes to Ryuk grinning menacingly. 

“You’ve made your moves, here’s mine. Tatsuzo Kijmuta. Kill him, Light.”

“Huh? He’s the bookshop owner downtown, isn’t he?”

Kijmuta was a gentle, mild man with a pleasant smile. He couldn’t possibly be...

Ryuk grinned.

“You won’t do it? Were you friends? He has some skeletons in his closet, for sure. Just do it, Light. Pen, ink, paper, five seconds, you don’t even need to think about it.”

Light hesitated. 

“What... what did he do wrong?”

“Write his name and I’ll tell you, you know you can’t not write his name anyway!”

Light’s hand was shaking, the final, eleventh name on the page looking sloppy compared to the previous ten perfectly printed names. 

He only realised he was holding his breath when his lungs started burning from he lack of oxygen a full minute later. 

“What did he do wrong?”

Ryuk cackled. 

“Is there any point in you knowing? Eh, he’s killed, he’s flouted a couple laws, blah blah, same old.”

“Why Kijmuta?”

“Why Kijmuta? Eh, I just saw you visit him recently so I remembered his name.”

Light couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of dread and foreboding. Kijmuta... didn’t look evil. Still, he shut the book, hid it deep inside his drawer and pulled out his homework. 

Ten dead today. 

The world had ten less evil people today. 

A small difference, but Light was sure the ensuing impact would be far higher. 

Ryuk suddenly reappeared, having grabbed an Apple from the kitchen. 

“Kijmuta killed insects and spiders often. And he downloaded movies illegally sometimes.” Ryuk floated up to Light’s desk, watching Light’s face intently. 

Light’s eyes widened with realisation. 

Murderer. He was a murderer. 

Ryuk just laughed, and laughed and laughed, the jarring sound bouncing all through the halls of the house. 

The game had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not very happy with this chapter, really struggled but I think it still sounds kinda rambly. Hope it’s still enjoyable tho, Ryuk’s got the game started XD. you can see how Light puts in a lot of meticulous care with his killing in the beginning bc he still sees them as human lives. What’s Ryuk doing? Desensitising Light? Messing with his head? We’ll see >:). In the next chapter we’ll see Light’s attention seeking plan revive too. Idk if you’ve noticed but Light’s also very isolated from every humn, basically, since his fatner’s death. He hasn’t found anyone worth respecting since. Also, many of the cases I used are real, although they don’t match up accurately w the names (many of whcih are actual murderers). Have a merry Christmas everyone in advance!


End file.
